The present disclosure relates to a water heater and thermal mixing valve assembly and method for providing and controlling a reduced discharge water temperature and a hot water temperature to an associated domestic water system.
Water heaters are a major appliance featured in domestic water systems used in all types of residential, commercial and industrial buildings. Generally, water heaters provide hot water to plumbing fixtures within a domestic water system for human consumption. Tank type water heaters are designed to store and continuously heat a given amount of water for on demand availability. Typical plumbing fixtures that rely on hot water from water heaters include faucets, tubs, showers, sinks, hose bibs, dish washers and washing machines. There exist numerous possible design arraignments for the use of water heaters within domestic water systems. However, water heaters generally provide hot water at one predetermined temperature for consumption within the system. This becomes a problem because different plumbing fixtures may require different hot water temperatures to operate correctly.
Plumbing fixtures such as sinks, faucets, bathtubs, and showers require a hot water temperature that is safe for human consumption by preventing the possibility of scalding injuries. Appliances such as washing machines, and dish washers typically require an increased hot water temperature for their intended purpose of cleaning clothes and dishes. Therefore, a demand exists to provide a water heater capable of producing hot water of variable temperature ranges to different plumbing fixtures based on the demanded water temperature of each device.
It is known to provide thermal mixing valves adjacent to each plumbing device within a domestic water system to maintain a safe and acceptable hot water temperature. Thermal mixing valves combine a hot water supplied by the water heater and an associated cold water supplied by an independent source to create a discharge water of a predetermined temperature acceptable for safe and effective use by the associated plumbing device. This approach requires a thermal mixing valve to be installed in proximity to each plumbing device that requires a different hot water temperature than the hot water supplied directly from the water heater. However, it is inefficient and uneconomical to provide a thermal mixing valve in proximity to every plumbing fixture because of excess pipe fitting materials and installation labor.
Another known application within domestic water systems is to provide a single thermal mixing valve in close proximity to the water heater. This application creates a discharge water temperature by combining the hot water from the water heater and the cold water from the associated independent source. The discharge water is individually piped to all necessary plumbing devices. This approach decreases the number of thermal mixing valves used in proximity to plumbing devices but increases the amount of labor and pipe fittings necessary to correctly install a water heater to an associated domestic water system.